A 10 Mile Bridge

PALMELA.

We want to be off and running but are held up by a Spanish couple who seem to take forever emptying and filling. The female spends most of the time strutting around the van. We fill in the time talking to a new arrival from York. He tells us that he is a member of wild camping UK. The current advice is to avoid Murcia.

Less than an hour into the journey, Rosie spots a laundrette in a village called Ponte do Rel. We spend the hour walking around then enjoy a coffee. The restaurant next door is doing a roaring trade in take way lunches. The antics of the customers parking their cars keeps us amused.

The route takes us to the Atlantic coast. It is a surfers heaven and the weather has improved for the bank holiday. The temperature reaches 18 degrees.

On to a town west of Lisbon called Sintra. It is a World Heritage site and as such is very tourist focussed. The bars and cafes are full. We are directed by a lovely Portuguese lady who turns out to be an English teacher.

From there we head around Lisbon and on to the south. Pass two large football stadia, probably Benfica and Sporting, before hitting a traffic build up caused by an accident. We leave Lisbon by the second longest bridge in Europe. The guide book tells us thst it is 10 miles long including the climb and descent.

Our final destination is a walled town called Palmela. Dusk has fallen and the castle is illuminated looking spectacular.